Concrete pile and method of making the same.



L. B. WELSH.

CONCRETE PILE AND METHOD o? MAKING THB SAME.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 36.1907.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

TE' ST1-Yigg@ ATENT LOUIS E. WELSH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 AMERICAN CONCRETE PILING COMPANY, 0F PHILADEL- PHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONCRETE PILE AND METHOD OF MAKING!- IHE SAME.

y Speeillcation of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 28, 1907.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

Serial No. 364,623.

To all whom 'it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis E. WELSH, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented ce1'- tain Improvements in Concrete Piles and Methods of Making the Same, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in what are known as concrete piles and the object of my invention is to provide means whereby a shell of concrete or other fragile material can be carried into the opening in the ground and filled with concrete thus producing an absolutely perfect pile.

In the accom anying drawing :Figure l, is a sectional e evation of my improved pile ready to be driven into the ound; Fig. 2, is a sectional view of the finished pile with the driving form removed; Fig. 3, is a erspective view of one of the concrete pi es; Fig. 4l, is a perspective view of the driving point; Fig. 5, is a sectional view of one of the shells, showing one method of reinforcing the shell, and Fig. 6, is a view showing one method of filling the shell with concrete.

A is the drivin head which 'may be of any suitable forin an made in any suitable manner.

f driver.

C is a tubular driving form extending from the head A to the oint B. This driving forni is of suoli thic'tness as to resist the pressure exerted on the driving head to force the point into the ground.

In the present instance the driving head A hasa central projection a and a flange cl2. The body portion o'E the driving head rests at a upon the driving form C and there is s ace between the driving form and the ange a2 for the reception of the concrete shell D. The lower end of the driving forni rests upon an inner shoulder Zi formed on the driving point B and surrounding this shoulder in the present instance is a flange b which retains the driving form C in position in respect to the driving oint. The drivingf point has an outer ,shou der b2 upon which though in some instances it may be of the same diameter where the ground is of such a character that the skin friction will not fracture or disintegrate the shell.

The driving -form is less than the inner diameter of the shell so that after the pile is driven into the ground the driving jforin C can be readily removed. The flange b of the driving point in the present instance acts to separate the drivin forni from the shell and also acts to keep oth parts centered in res eet to the driving point. y he shell or hollow section D may be made in one or more parts, de ending considerabiy upon the depth to w iich the pile is to be driven. The shell rests upon the shoulder b2 on the driving point B and the upper portion of the shell is held in place by the annular flange a2 which projects from the driving head A. i

The driving form C is of such a length in respect to the shell l) that the blow will be transmitted from the head A to the point B through the driving form C; the shell. l) being mounted between the head A and the shell B so-that it will be carried into the ground with the driving elements without the liability oi fracture. It' the shell is made up of a series ot' sections, then one shell preferably interlocks with another, as illustratod in Fig. l. Ou one end ot each section is an internal flange l which iuterloeks 'with the external flange o, on one cud ot' another section, thus preventing displacement and the .sections will be always in line.

,l preferably make the point sectionl l considerably greater in diameter than the concrete shell l) so thatthe hole produced by the driving` point is of greater diameter than the shell, thus reducing the skin frirtiou to such an extent that the shell can be driven to a much greater depth than if the hole was practically the suine diameter as the shell.

The shell D may be made entirely oi' concrete, as illustrated in Fig. l, without being reinforced, or it may be made with concrete reinforced in the usual manner; one method of reinforcing being shown in Fig. 5, in which the cylinder of in termeshing Wire, (It is embedded in the concrete.

In carrying out my improved process, preferably mount one or more tubular sections D with the driving form C upon the m ascesa driving point B, then I. place the head A in position; the head in the present instance acting as the upper guide for the shell D The pile can' be driven into the ground by the ordinary method; the head A receiving a blow which is transmitted to the driving point through the driving section C without atlecting or injuring the concrete shell D. The head being of greater diameter than the shell. it produces a hole larger than the shell so that the shin friction upon the shell is reduced to a. minimum and the point protects the shell from any pressure of the earth under it. After the pile is driven` into the ground to the desired depth then the head is removed and the driving form withdrawn. This can be readily accomplished as the driving form is less in diameter than the inner diameter of theshell and practically does not come in contact with the shell, leaving the driving point, or that portion of the driving point under the shell, in the ground as a hase for" the shell. iter the drivino' torni is removed then the tubular pile can be in-` spected from top to bottom before the conlcrete forming the body of the pile is discharged into the shell. The inspection can be made either by the use of a lamp, or in the case of larger piles a. man may be lowered into the shell, if found desirable.

Where the pile is driven into moist ground the solid point B and the tubular sections D form a lining which will prevent the admission of water or soil into the opening formed vin driving the pile so that when the concrete forming the body portion is inserted a true pile is assured.

Several methods may be used tor iilling a tubular pile with concrete after it is driven; one method being to entirely remove the driving form C and then ill the entire cavity at once with concrete, or the driving head can be removed and the driving form C raised a. certain distance; concrete being poured through the driving formv into the hollow pile until it rises to the bottom of the driving form when the driving form can be raised to a certain point and more material poured in until the tubular pile is entirely filled, or sections of molded concrete piles can be placed in the hollou7 pile and grout can be poured into the space be tween the solid sections and the tubular sections, as shown in Fig, 6. Reinforcing members can be inserted in l the pile if found necessary. Thus a pile is produced having a tubular shell which Acan be inspected from top to bottom, after which the shell can be lilled with concrete forming a solid, homogeneous pile.

ln the formation of piles according to my improved method, a hole is made by entering a suitable metal point into the ground under the force of impact driving means,

and simultaneously with the formation of such hole a shell of concrete or similar fragile material introduced, which t'ollows the point into the ground and is not subjected to tensile stress or disintegrating blows. This shell is preferaby made in sec tions in order that it may 'be introduced as the hole progressively increases in depth; such shell providing a protective lining that prevents the surrounding earth entering the cavity and permits examination of the latter prior to deposit of the filling of concrete which forms with such shell the actual pile. The shell is not intended as a verticalloud supporting medium, but owing to its cylin drical shape it possesses a high degree of resistance to lateral crushing pressure and in connection with the concrete illing forms a solid homogeneous pile'. terior of the shell is comparatively rough and maintains substantially the same frictional contact with the surrounding earth as the ordinary concrete piles.

1 claim:

1. The method herein described of formA ing homogeneous concrete piles in the ground, said method consisting in forming a tubular shell or casing of concrete or other fragile material, providing a driving form with an enlarged separate and unattached point, mounting the tubular shell on the out-- side of the driving form in contact with said point, the latter being enlarged at its junction with the shell, simultaneously forming the `hole and introducing the tubular concrete shell therein, removing that portion of the driving form within the tubular shell, and ,finally hlling said shell with concrete.

2. The method herein described of forming homogeneous concrete piles in the ground, said method consisting in making one or more tubular shells o1e concrete to form the outer wall of a finished pile, mounting said shell on the outside of a driving forni having a separate and unattached point, said point forming a rest for the lower end of the concrete shell, said shell being held to its seat hy means carried by the upper endof the driving form, forming a hole and simultaneously introducing therein the shell by impact upon the driving form, said concrete shell following the driving point, then removing that port-ion of the driving form "within the tubular shell, and finally filling the shell with concrete, which willl make, with the shell, a homogeneous 3. The method herein described of forming homogeneous concrete piles in the ground, said method consisting in forming a tubular shell of concrete or other fragile material to serve as apart of the finished pile, said shell having a total arca less than the filling for the same, mounting said tub`u- Moreover the er-v 'lar shell on the outside of a driving form- 'llaving a separate and unattached point of greater diameter than the tubular shell, si multaneously formin a hole and introducing therein the tubu ar shell, said drivin point making a hole larger than the Shel Wherebythe entrance of the latter is unobstructed, removing that portion of the driving form withinthe tubular shell, and finally filling the shell with concrete which wilth said shell forms a soli'd homogeneous 1 e. p 4. A drivin point for concrete piles hav. in inner am? outer Shoulders in substantia ly the same horizontal plane; and a flange separating said shoulders, one of said shoulders being adapted to take the thrust of a driving form and the other form-ing a rest for a tubular section.

5. A hollow driving point for concrete piles havin inner and outer shoulders with a vertical ange separating said shoulders both shoulders` being below the top of said flange, Said point ada ted to receive a portion of the concrete o the finished pile.

6. The combination of a hollow point section havin a vertical flan e and inner and outer shou ders separated y said flange, a driving head having a central rojection, a tubular driving form surrounding the central projection of the head and mounted within the flange of the point section to he supported by the inner shoulder of the same, one or more tubular shells of concrete surrounding the driving form and mounted between the driving head and the point, said shells being supported by the outer shoulder of the point.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my namewtlo this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS E. WELSH.

Witnesses VICTOR SHUMAN, ALAN CRAIG CUNNINGHAM. 

